Govt gives nod for four housing projects

SummaryThe Gujarat Government Wednesday announced four projects aimed at providing affordable housing to urban poor and lower middle income population under the Mukhyamantri Awas Sumrudhi Yojana (MMASY),

The Gujarat Government Wednesday announced four projects aimed at providing affordable housing to urban poor and lower middle income population under the Mukhyamantri Awas Sumrudhi Yojana (MMASY), the biggest poll promise made by the BJP ahead of 2012 Assembly elections.

Under MMASY, the government had promised to construct 22 lakh houses in urban areas within five years.

The three projects include housing for the EWS (Economically Weaker Section), a project for lower income group and subsidy for the EWS and the lower income group. Also, a slum rehabilitation policy has been announced.

Slum rehabilitation and eWS housing

Slums will be rehabilitated at sites owned by local bodies, while development will be done on a public private partnership basis. In its first phase, four lakh units will be constructed with a unit size of 25 to 30 square meter with 2 bedrooms, kitchen and hall each. The re-developed sites will have all basic amenities. These units will be available free of cost for slum dwellers, while the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) with annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh will qualify for the same.

The survey for the project will be based on UID (Unique Identification), ration card or election card. The EWS will get financial aid of Rs 1 lakh by the government, while the beneficiary will have to pay the remaining amount or Rs 3 lakh, whichever is less.

Project for lower income group With a budget allocation

of Rs 400 crore, around 40,000 beneficiaries, with an annual income of Rs 1 to 2.5 lakh, are expected to be covered.

Units of 50 square meter each will cost around Rs 7.5 to 11 lakh. Beneficiaries will get financial aid of Rs 1 lakh. The UID has been mandatory for this project.

Interest subsidy for EWS and LIG Under this project, beneficiaries will get interest subsidy up to Rs 1 lakh from the

government in schemes by private builders. The government aims to cover 10,000 beneficiaries this year with a budget allocation of Rs 15 crore. For EWS, minimum down payment will be Rs 50,000 and the cost will be around Rs 5 lakh, while down payment for LIG (Lower Income Group) will be Rs 1 lakh with a cost of Rs 12.5 lakh.

Slum Rehabilitation on ppp basis Four lakh units will be constructed on existing slums by involving private builders, who can later use the extra land for their use. The stamp duty registration